Matthew 27:34-40

27:34 and offered Jesus ¹  wine mixed with gall to drink. ²  But after tasting it, he would not drink it. 27:35 When ³  they had crucified ⁴  him, they divided his clothes by throwing dice. ⁵  27:36 Then they sat down and kept guard over him there. 27:37 Above ⁶  his head they put the charge against him, ⁷  which read: ⁸  “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.” 27:38 Then two outlaws were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 27:39 Those ⁹  who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads 27:40 and saying, “You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! ¹⁰  If you are God’s Son, come down ¹¹  from the cross!”

[27:34]  ¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:34]  ² sn It is difficult to say for certain who gave Jesus this drink of wine mixed with gall (e.g., the executioner, or perhaps women from Jerusalem). In any case, whoever gave it to him most likely did so in order to relieve his pain, but Jesus was unwilling to take it.

[27:35]  ³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:35]  ⁴ sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

[27:35]  ⁵ tn Grk “by throwing the lot” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent, “throwing dice,” was chosen here because of its association with gambling. According to L&N 6.219 a term for “dice” is particularly appropriate.

[27:37]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:37]  ⁶ sn Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.

[27:37]  ⁷ tn Grk “was written.”

[27:39]  ⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:40]  ⁹ sn There is rich irony in the statements of those who were passing by, “save yourself!” and “come down from the cross!” In summary, they wanted Jesus to come down from the cross and save his physical life, but it was indeed his staying on the cross and giving his physical life that led to the fact that they could experience a resurrection from death to life.

[27:40]  ¹⁰ tc ‡ Many important witnesses (א* A D pc it sy^[s],p) read καί (kai, here with the force of “then”) before κατάβηθι (katabhqi, “come down”). The shorter reading may well be due to homoioarcton, but judging by the diverse external evidence (א² B L W Θ 0250 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat) it is equally possible that the shorter reading is original (and is so considered for this translation). NA²⁷ puts the καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.